Oriental rug cleaning tips (Always use professional help)

Carpet Cleaning TipsIs your carpet beginning to look like it needs a good cleaning? Maybe you just have a few stains and won’t have to clean the whole carpet. If you happen to have a sample, or extra piece of carpet saved from when it was installed, you can use that to test your cleaning method for colorfastness. You wouldn’t want to clean a spot and be left with a bleached out area.

A few carpet cleaning tips would be good to remember. The most important trick is to treat the stain as soon as possible after it occurs. As a rule, don’t use hot water unless you have tested it on that same type of stain on a sample of your carpet. Hot water tends to set stains instead of remove them. If you use detergent on a stain, be sure it does not have bleach in it before applying to your carpet.

If you have dripped candle wax on the carpet, cover the area with a white paper towel first, and then place a piece of waxed paper over that. Use a hot iron to press over the waxed paper and the wax will stick to the paper towel. Keep using new paper towels over the stain until it is all gone. If the area of wax is thick, carefully scrape off as much as possible with a dull knife before using the hot iron.

Pet stains can be treated with rubbing alcohol or a dry cleaning solution, if you try it first on a sample of your carpet. Blot up as much as possible with a dry cloth, then use a circular motion, from the outer edge of the stain to the center, with the alcohol or dry cleaning solution on a cloth. For any odor that may remain after removing the stain, sprinkle the area with baking soda and rub it in to the carpet. Let it set for a few hours, at least until very dry, and then vacuum it up.

Two tablespoons of ammonia to one cup of water works well for blood stains, using the same method of cleaning as you would for pet stains.

Be sure that your cleaning solution is not flammable. Some homemade solutions, when mixed with certain chemicals, could catch fire. If it is possible that the stain could contain any chemical, such as shoe polish, it might be better to use commercial carpet shampoo.

In the middle of Iran with the Zagros mountains to the left and the desert to the right, lies the city of Isfahan; Today, it is an important industrial city with a population of 1.2 million inhabitants. For many people Isfahan probably is the main attraction in Iran. Architecturally, the city is a masterwork and one of the finest in the islamic world. The greatImam square with two mosques together with the palaces, the parks and the old bridges creates a mood that lets the visitor feel that this really is the Orient.Isfahan was the capital of the country during the Safavids dynasty (1502-1736). The powerful Shah Abbas (1587-1629) was a great believer of architecture, art and handicrafts. During his time the Emam square were built, looking like a large caravan. In its southern end rises the enormous Emam mosque. It is thought by lots of people to be the finest mosque in the country. On one of the long sides lies the Lotfollah mosque and opposite the Ali Qapo palace. The whole square is surrounded by shops for miniatures, gold, sweets and textiles together with a lot of tea houses. The great bazaar stretches from the northern part of the square a total of 5 kilometres, towards the older parts of the city and the Jame mosque from the 11th century. It is easy for a visitor to realize the meaning in a Persian saying from the 16th century: "Isfahan nesf-e jahan - Isfahan is half the world."In the city and in its surroundings a large number of workshops can be found. Many of them have a world reputation such as Seirafian, Davari, Enteshar and Haghighi. The patterns are often inspired by the mosques tile works, or the gardens of the cities and palaces. Carpets from Isfahan have high class when it comes to the composition of the patterns, materials and designs. They are characterized by thin, often carpets with extremly high knot density (Senneh knots) that sometimes are made on silk warp. The material, mostly wool, and colours are made of the highest quality. The motifs often consists of medallions with palmettes and arabesques (Shah Abbas pattern), but figural motifs also occur.Along the large shopping streets the carpet stores are very close together, and in the hotels exhibitions are put up to attract buyers. There are also larger carpet bazaar in the surrounding countryside, selling the Yalameh and Bakhtiar carpets for example. These carpets are also sold under the name Esfahan.

The oldest surviving pile Rug in the world is called the “Pazyryk Rug”. It was discovered in ice in the valley of Pazyryk (a valley of the Ukok Plateau, Siberia). The rug has been preserved for over 2500 years in a Siberian burial ground. The origin of this carpet is attributed to either the Siberian Turkic groups, Scythians or the Persian Achaemenids. After being discovered in 1949, the world’s oldest rug is displayed in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

There have been many other antique rugs discovered in different countries, including India and ancient Persia. Indian and Antique Persian rugs are exhibited in museums.

The exquisite beauty of the handmade carpet make it one of the world’s treasures. If properly cared for, your rug can last for generations and be an endless source of pleasure in your home. Here are a few basics to ensure your rug is afforded the best protection:

The proper way to clean an Oriental rug is by hand, in water, without harmful chemicals and machines. This hand cleaning is the same method used for thousands of years. It is time consuming, but preserves these beautiful works of art and is thus worth the time and effort.

Washing your treasured handmade rugs is the best protection you can give them. Careful washing will save your rugs from destruction by accumulated dust, lint, dirt and sand.

Continued use of a rug that contains common household soils and grit accelerates the wear of the carpet by literally cutting the fibers and encouraging mildew and pests. In-home surface cleaning of these rugs does not remove the particles from the foundation of the rug.

Ongoing Maintenance - What You can Do to Preserve Your Rug's Beauty

Vacuum Frequently

Remember that soil and dust particles are acting like tiny razor blades sawing away at the fibers of your rug when you walk on it. Try to vacuum often, and avoid the fringes. (The fringes in most cases are an extension of the foundation of your rug. You want to avoid damage to the fringes).

Rotate Your Rug

It is important to rotate your rug to avoid continually walking over the same spots (remember the soil and dust acting like tiny scabbards). You should also be on the lookout for sun fade, which can be mitigated to some degree by rotation – although sun fade is something you want to try to avoid altogether.

Try to Avoid Sun Fade

Sun fade is very difficult to correct, if not impossible. When you move, or when you purchase a new rug, you should be conscious of how the light from your windows will affect the rug. Be particular about skylights. Also be aware that you may not see a full day’s effect if you are not home during the day to observe how the light falls at different times.

We advocate a coating for your windows which will block much of the harmful rays. We have had this done in our own home. If this is not possible, consider curtains and shades. Once the rug becomes faded unevenly, it is virtually impossible to even out the color.

Inspect Regularly

Particularly if any part of your rug is under furniture or in a dark area, you should inspect periodically for moths. Moths will generally be evident by their casings, which look like grains of rice. You should look at the rug carefully for evidence of insects.

Address Emergencies Immediately

All oriental repair work is expensive because it is time-consuming and very labor-intensive. It is therefore important that any damage to your rug be addressed sooner rather than later. It is safe to say that time is the enemy of oriental rugs. The longer a damaged area goes un-repaired, the longer a spill or animal accident remains on the rug, the longer your rug goes with moths eating away at it, the harder it will be to correct, and in some cases, the stains will not come out and/or the repairs will be very costly.

Never Put a Potted Plant on Your Rug

If you place a potted plant on your rug, you are asking for certain trouble. We have seen many rugs sustain major damage from this practice. It is virtually impossible to ensure that moisture will not make its way to the rug, and the carpet will rot out from this moisture. This is an extremely expensive repair. If you value your rug, never ever put a potted plant on it.

Rules for Rug Storage

If, due to a move or remodel or some other reason, you need to roll your rug up for storage, you must have it cleaned first. Then the rug should be wrapped in a breathable, archival type paper – never plastic – for storage. The practice of rolling up a dirty rug and placing it a garage or some other dark spot is like advertising a free, open bar rock concert to moths. They love dirty wool in dark places. They will eat holes throughout the rug. This is also a time-consuming and costly repair.

The Truth about Rugs and Dogs

Most of the damage we see to oriental rugs comes from puppies and young dogs. There is a very short window period in which to address urine on a rug before it turns to a permanent stain. Also, we have seen many rugs damaged by chewing on the corners and the fringe. It is therefore our strong advice that if you get a new puppy, or if you get a new rug when you have a young dog, that you store the rug away from the dog’s reach until it is old enough to be house trained and out of the chewing stage.

Enjoy Your Rug!

Although this advice may impart the feeling that your rug is fragile and requires a lot of care, the opposite is true. Oriental rugs are extremely durable and will last a lot longer than wall-to-wall carpeting if you take care of them. This is essentially: wash them periodically, vacuum, and keep them away from harmful sunlight, moths and your young animals. You will be able to enjoy your rug for your lifetime.